TAKE A TOWN Shopfloor


ProCook, The Mall, Cribbs Causeway


This store is located on the lower level of The Mall, and is situated between branches of Accessorize and Next.


I was looking to buy an air fryer. Inside the


store, I was greeted by Sam, who asked if I needed any help. I explained what I was looking for and Sam started by saying that the retailer has recently expanded its electricals range. Sam showed me two products, explaining the


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features and benefits of each model. The first product she presented was the ProCook 12-in-1 Air Fryer Health Grill, which was priced at £149. She mentioned the four grill temperature settings and said the model offered adjustable time and temperature controls to suit my needs. The second product Sam showed me was the ProCook Electric Pressure Cooker and Air Fryer, which was also priced at £149. She said the model has eight cooking settings including air fry, slow cook and pressure cooking. Sam demonstrated how the product works.


John Lewis & Partners, The Mall,


Cribbs Causeway


The Mall at Cribbs Causeway opened in 1998, and John Lewis & Partners is an anchor tenant. Inside the store, Jon approached me and I explained that I’d never had a dishwasher before but was keen to find about them.


Sales skills: 4/5


Store presentation:


5/5


Total score: 9/10


Sam gave good overviews of the machines, but did not attempt to close the sale; the store was well presented.


Audio-T, Park Street


This store is on a major shopping street in Bristol; its neighbours are Stationery World and Yia Mass, one of Bristol’s best known late-night venues. I wanted to make my TV sound better. Inside the


store, I was greeted by Store Manager, Max, who suggested that I could look at an amplifier, left and right speakers, a front speaker and sub-woofer. Max picked up a Marantz amplifier (Cinema 70S), which was priced at £679. He turned the amplifier around and showed me the many different channels/inputs.


For the left and right speakers, Max


recommended products from Acoustic Energy (AE1002), which were priced at £279; for the centre speaker Max suggested another Acoustic Energy product (AE107), priced at £119.


Sales skills: 3/5


Store presenta- tion:


5/5


Total score: 8/10


Max said that for a sub-woofer, a REL product (TZERO MK3), priced at £449, would be ideal. He said I’d need to think about where the kit would be located and said that once I’d purchased the products, he would come and help set-up my system.


Max didn’t really talk about the products, instead he gave recom- mendations; the offer to set-up the system was an attempt to close the sale. The store was well presented.


Sales skills: 3/5


Store presentation:


5/5


Total score: 8/10


Jon said Bosch make the best dishwashers, and he presented two models to me. The first Bosch model was a B-rated, 14- place product (SMS4EMW06G), priced at £579. He mentioned that the model’s weighted energy consumption (WEC) per 100 cycles on the Eco cycle is 65kWh. He said the eco cycle takes three hours and 35 minutes. Jon demonstrated the model’s Rackmatic system, which gives more flexibility when loading large dinner plates, for example. The second Bosch model Jon presented was the D-rated, 14-place product (SMS2HVW67G), priced at £449.


Jon gave basic advice, yet his demo of Rackmatic was very good. The store was well presented.


Jon said that the model’s WEC per 100 cycles on the Eco cycle is 85kWh, meaning it was less energy efficient than the first model he presented, but its quality and value for money were impressive.


Currys, South Bristol Retail Park, Winterstoke Road


This store is in the shadow of Ashton Gate, the home of Bristol City Football Club.


Sales skills: 0/5


Store presentation:


4/5


I was looking to buy a portable speaker so I made my way to the audio department. I noticed that a member of staff was sat at a computer about five metres away from where I was browsing the products on display. The first product that caught my eye was the LG XBOOM Go (XG7QBK) speaker, priced at £169. The price ticket indicated that the model offers 40W of sound output, is dustproof and waterproof and has up to 24 hours battery life. I tried to use the demo facility on the LG model, but the product was not working. The second model, the Marshall Middleton speaker, was priced at £269. The price ticket stated that it was dustproof and waterproof, but offered up to 20 hours battery life. The Marshall product can be fully recharged in four hours. The Marshall demo facility worked really well.


Total score: 4/10


After five minutes of browsing, and with no sign of an approach, I left the store. The store was well merchandised, but I’ve knocked a point off for the LG demo unit not working.


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